The Princess Hates Me
by RosierSpecs
Summary: Pairing: Asuka x Mari / Mainly about Asuka and Mari's relationship as it develops prior to the events of You Can (Not) Redo.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Princess, are you really going to just leave?" The playful, yet unmistakably sad, voice called out to the departing girl.

"For the last time," Asuka Langley Shikinami started, "I'm not a Princess. I'm not _you're_ Princess. I'm not _anybody's_ Princess!" Asuka claimed, her anger rapidly rising along with the volume of her voice.

Mari Illustrious Makinami, smiled, despite the sudden pain coursing through her caused by Asuka's stinging words. "I still think the title suits you very well," Mari replied, casually, and let a smirk tug at the edge of her lips. Relentless in her easygoing demeanor.

Asuka had little patience to begin with and the infuriating girl before her was testing her self-control to its limits. "Tch!" Asuka clicked her tongue, and with a brandish of her hand, swept her hair back in a dramatic fashion.

Mari's smile widened. _For one claiming not to be a princess, she certainly acts like one_, Mari couldn't help but think.

"I've had enough of your games, favored four-eyes," Asuka retorted, with the nickname she dubbed the bespectacled girl. "I can't stand being in the same room with you anymore," Asuka concluded, and folded her arms as she peered at Mari with her right eye – the left covered by a black eye-patch.

Mari's smile never faltered and she leaned back against the wall, not saying anything – she knew she had already won the argument, and felt it best not to goad the fiery red-head any further. Mari's silence annoyed Asuka even more than when she spoke, and her temper was reaching its boiling point. Asuka couldn't understand why the girl before her could rub her the wrong way so easily.

Asuka took long and determined strides towards Mari who was standing on the other side of the room. Mari watched calmly as Asuka approached her like an angry bull. Asuka looked up at the taller girl – her one eye revealing a rage which neither frightened nor intimidated Mari. Instead, she found Asuka's angry side rather… appealing.

Mari looked on with amusement at Asuka shaking and scowling before her - she was simply incapable of taking the smaller girl seriously. "Like a little Chihuahua," Mari giggled, light-heartedly, and poked Asuka's cheek causing Asuka's face to glow red with anger.

"Grrr," Asuka growled in frustration which only enhanced the image of Asuka as an eye-patch wearing Chihuahua in Mari's active imagination.

Mari giggled again in spite of Asuka's obvious rage. Upon hearing Mari's blatant disregard to her seriousness, Asuka felt something snap in her brain – or more like a click - and all she saw was red.

Asuka pulled back her arm and propelled it forward, forming a fist as she did so. For a fraction of a second, Mari's cheerful expression turned into one of shock. Asuka's heart skipped a beat once she realized what she was doing and at the very last moment, she redirected her fist at the wall to the side of Mari's head.

As soon as her fist made contact with the slab of concrete, Asuka felt her knuckles flare up in excruciating pain. She had overreacted again and her poor hand was paying the price.

Asuka retracted her arm and cradled her right hand in an attempt to lessen the severe pain shooting across her knuckles. The low-brim of her hat hid any signs of hurt on her face from Mari, and Asuka was thankful for that.

Mari was still half-dazed by what had just transpired and she stood frozen before the enigmatic Asuka. When she saw the girl trembling, Mari hesitantly reached out a hand with the intention of a comforting gesture, but Asuka abruptly turned her body away. Before Mari could stop her, Asuka was walking out of the door, leaving Mari alone in the heavy silence of the room.

"Princess…" Mari softly said, and turned to stare at the newly formed crack on the wall.

Asuka walked quickly down the quiet hallway, her body in a state of complete disorientation. "I… I can't believe I almost hit that idiotic favored four-eyes," Asuka fervently whispered to herself. She balled her hands into fists and walked with her head bowed down. "She really was pushing me too much though," Asuka continued to talk to herself as she tried to rationalize her impulsive action. She stopped in the middle of the hall and looked over her shoulder, half-expecting and maybe even half-hoping Mari to be behind her, but she was alone.

"Stupid," Asuka cursed herself, and continued to walk back to her room – nearly running now. Once she was inside her sanctuary, Asuka shut the door firmly behind her to close off the rest of the world. She sighed and tiredly took off her trademark hat, and placed it carefully on a hook on her door. Asuka collapsed on her bed and stared glumly at her bruised knuckles, lifting her hand before her face to inspect the purplish-blue bruises marring her creamy skin. She curled herself into a fetal position and touched her lips to her injured hand. In the darkness, the silence was amplified and Asuka could barely stand the nerve-wracking stillness any longer, but it was all she ever knew.

Asuka shut her right eye. She inhaled deeply and exhaled the air slowly from her lungs, repeating the process as she focused on nothing else but her rhythmic breathing. The lull of the night drove on and the sound of her breathing calmed her busy mind. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Back in her room, Mari still had her eyes fixated on the fist-shaped crack on the wall. The level of rage Asuka had shown was one she wasn't used to. Sure, they got into their usual argument every now and then (for Mari's amusement) but this… Asuka had never almost physically hurt her before. "Maybe I did push her too far this time," Mari sighed, and pouted. Mari looked around her room and hated how boring and lonesome it always was at night – the silence always nearly drove her mad. She desperately needed company. Anything to quiet the frightening thoughts when one is left alone.

Mari made her way to Asuka's room, not really processing what was going through her mind. All she knew was that she really needed to see her – to see if she was okay. Mari reached Asuka's room and stood outside the closed door. She stared at the only obstacle between her and Asuka. The sign on Asuka's door read, 'ENTER AND DIE!' Mari smiled at the sign. Asuka had the habit of hanging the sign up whenever she was really mad. Asuka was no longer fourteen, but she still acted like it at times.

Mari laughed softly and said, "Oh Princess, when are you going to grow up? Oh, that's right, I suppose you never will," Mari sighed, alluding to the EVA's side-effect of preventing its pilots from aging externally. "A blessing and a curse," Mari softly mused, and reached out her hand to grasp the doorknob and paused. Should she knock first? Mari pressed her ear to the door and listened for any sounds. With some effort, Mari caught the faint sound of light breathing – it appeared Asuka was already asleep.

Mari knew it was best if she didn't hesitate and opened the door to the sight of Asuka asleep on the bed. Her hat was off and her long hair was splayed out all around her. Mari's breath hitched in her throat, and she nearly turned away to exit the bedroom – thinking she really might die if she entered Asuka's room without permission. But despite her rational conscience, Mari's legs moved forward instinctively towards the bed. She stopped when she stood over Asuka's sleeping form.

Asuka appeared almost vulnerable when she was asleep – a side she rarely, if ever, showed. Mari smiled slightly at the rare sight and crouched down to get a closer look at Asuka's face. Mari was close enough to feel Asuka's hot breath tickling her lips and she involuntarily shivered from the sensations running through her body.

Asuka mumbled something in her sleep, but Mari hadn't caught what it was she said. Turning her ear towards Asuka's lips, Mari listened intently. She wanted to know what sort of dreams manifested in the Princess' mind. "M-mom..." Asuka muttered once, and whimpered.

Mari gazed at Asuka's sad expression and saw a lone tear making its way down her cheek as she continued to dream of distorted memories of the past. Mari continued to stare inquisitively at Asuka's expression twist from sad to a look of utter despair.

Mari brought her hand to gently wipe the tear descending slowly down Asuka's cheek and Asuka stirred from Mari's touch, but she didn't wake. Asuka was mumbling in her sleep again. "M-m—" Asuka started to say, as if breathless.

"Still dreaming about your mom, huh?" Mari sympathetically said, and brushed the loose bangs away from Asuka's sweaty forehead.

"M-Mari," Asuka finished, and continued to murmur inaudibly. She then turned over on her side and brought her knees up into a fetal position. Asuka clutched onto the pillow beside her as if hugging it longingly.

Mari felt a deep blush spread across her cheeks from such an endearing sight. It appeared Asuka was now dreaming about her. It's a wonder Mari's nose wasn't bleeding from cuteness overload. Mari touched her nose just to make sure a nosebleed really hadn't started. She sighed in relief when she discovered her nose was blood-free. While Mari was still preoccupied with rubbing her nose, Asuka had woken up to the sight of Mari's strange self-evaluation.

Asuka immediately bolted upright still clutching her pillow and Mari froze wishing she could disappear. They stared at each other in silence for a long moment. It felt like an eternity to Mari as she awaited Asuka to blow off on her. Mari saw her life flash before her eyes because without a doubt, Asuka was going to kill her for entering her room without permission.

"H-Hey, Princess," Mari dumbly said, unable to find anything else to say.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Asuka continued to stare at Mari with her one good eye, and one was enough to portray the intensity of Asuka's gaze as the silence stretched into uncomfortable territory.

Mari parted her lips to speak, but coherent sentences had suddenly become an impossible task. Asuka's stoic gaze never faltered and Mari braced herself for her untimely doom, but Asuka only sighed sharply and turned her face away.

"What are you doing in here?" Asuka whispered, a slight hiss in her voice. She remained faced towards the wall, hiding her expression from Mari.

Mari tried to gauge Asuka's current mood from the tone of her voice – she sounded tired… Sad.

Asuka was rubbing her thumb mindlessly over her injured hand as she awaited Mari's response. "Well?" Asuka pressed.

Mari knew Asuka well enough to know she only had seconds to answer before the red-head's notorious temper flared up. Mari got up from her crouching position and she spotted Asuka glancing at her momentarily. "I'm really sorry, Princess. I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt," Mari honestly replied.

Asuka remained silent as she slowly dropped her head on top of her knees. Curled up and despondent, Asuka looked like a helpless child.

"I'll leave now," Mari quickly added, afraid Asuka might suddenly attack.

"No," Asuka mumbled. "You don't have to leave… Stay."

Mari paused and stared in disbelief at Asuka's half-turned face – a weariness etched clearly on her pretty features even in the dark.

"What did you sa—" Mari started, but Asuka quickly cut her off.

"You heard me, favored four-eyes," Asuka curtly replied, her fiery personality threatening to break through.

"Okay…" Mari hesitantly said, and stood in place, unsure of what to do next. _This is too strange, _Mari started to think. _She's probably planning on clobbering me._

Asuka turned to see Mari standing dumbly in place – still thinking – as she rubbed her hands together nervously.

"Well, sit down," Asuka sighed.

Mari slowly took a seat on the very edge of Asuka's bed. A sweet smell was plaguing her senses and she felt dizzy from the intoxicating scent. The faint smell of shampoo and a whole other unidentifiable aroma – Asuka's unique scent.

Asuka and Mari sat a few inches apart on the bed – neither one wanting to be the first to erase the growing tension. Mari opened her mouth to speak, but Asuka quickly cupped a hand over it before she could get a word out.

"Just… Be quiet for once," Asuka softly urged, her hand still over Mari's mouth.

Mari stared quizzically at Asuka and Asuka looked away.

"What are you thinking?" Asuka started. "Do you want to sleep with me?" Asuka blatantly asked.

Mari's eyes widened at the prospect, but she couldn't speak with Asuka's hand barring her lips. Instead, Mari shook her head no.

Asuka smiled, a self-deprecating smile. "You were thinking it though, weren't you?"

Mari hesitated, but shook her head once more.

Asuka let out a breathy laugh, letting slip a slight gasp of pain as she did so.

Mari observed Asuka – so different from her usual bullheaded personality. In the darkness, her façade diminished into nothing more than a vulnerable little girl.

Asuka grasped the side of her chest and whispered something Mari could barely make out.

"Favored-four eyes, will you do something for me?" Asuka spoke, softly, and released her hold over Mari's mouth.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Please…" Asuka trailed off, lost in thought – trying to grasp onto the perfect words in which to mold her feelings, but she couldn't. "Please, just leave."

Mari blinked in confusion and didn't move.

Asuka couldn't stand being in the girl's presence another second – it made her mad, by every definition of the word.

"Leave!" Asuka roared, and pushed Mari away hard enough to nearly topple the taller girl off the bed.

"Wait, I don't understand," Mari calmly said, and inched closer to a shaking Asuka. "Just talk to me, Princess."

And with Mari's term of endearment, a click went off in Asuka's mind, one borne out of frustration, self-loathing, and confusion. "For the last fucking time, I'm not your _Princess_!" Asuka lashed out at the top of her lungs, but there was a faint break in her voice as she screamed.

Mari remained undeterred by Asuka's display of rage.

"I'm sorry, P—I mean, Asuka." Mari reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but Asuka had removed herself from the bed and stood up. Without another word, Asuka swiftly went towards the door and left.

Mari had half-expected Asuka to slam the door, but to her surprise, she softly closed it behind her. Mari was left alone in Asuka's room and the pitch blackness made her strain her eyes, and all she could make out was the shape of Asuka's hat left behind on the hook of the door.

Asuka walked the white corridor of the WILLE's facility with no destination in mind. She just wanted to get away – put as much distance as possible between Mari and herself before she totally went crazy. Perhaps, she already had.

She had reached the dining hall where the empty seats and spotless tables only amplified the loneliness plaguing her. She had nowhere else in mind for sanctuary. Asuka pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at the display of stale desserts behind the clear glass. She wouldn't eat those sweets even if she did have an appetite, but she knew Mari wouldn't hesitate to eat them.

_Mari? Why am I even thinking about her_? Frustrated, Asuka tugged at her hair and realized she had left her hat behind in her room. She tangled her hands in her hair and leaned back into the plastic chair. The silence of the empty cafeteria made her want to shout, yell, scream, anything to stop the thoughts bombarding her last ounce of sanity.

Asuka gulped back the growing hot lump growing in her throat and spoke aloud to herself. "Will I ever change? Or am I still that lonely, sad fourteen-year old girl?" She thought back to the time when she would constantly throw herself at Ryoji Kaji because she was desperate for a human connection, but with Mari there was something foreign and earnest in her own approach that scared her more than anything.

"Stupid favored-four eyes…" Asuka mumbled, and placed her arms on the table to burrow her into.

"You called?" Mari amusedly said, making Asuka leap slightly from her seat.

Asuka whirled around to see Mari with her usual neko-like smirk on her face as she stood at the entrance of the cafeteria while twirling Asuka's hat atop her forefinger.

Asuka couldn't help it – her heart was beating faster and her breathing quickened. She cursed inwardly at her lack of control whenever Mari was in her presence. She decided not to acknowledge Mari's presence and ignored her.

Mari chuckled softly, and Asuka heard her footstep approach and stop at her side.

"You know, I really miss seeing you with your hat on," Mari said, and proceeded to place the hat gently and snugly on Asuka's head.

Asuka lifted her head up and clicked her tongue. "What will it take to get rid of you? You're like an annoying fly. No, worse. You're like a bad cold that won't go away." Asuka said, her tone nowhere near as harsh as she wanted it to be.

Mari's smirk widened and she sat down across from Asuka. Asuka did her best to evade Mari's eyes – still embarrassed about what had transpired earlier.

"It will take much more for me to leave your side," Mari said, her tone half amused and serious.

Asuka accidentally locked eyes with Mari – surprised by the sincerity in her voice. Mari was watching her with a slight gleam in her eyes which shone clearly in the dimly-lit cafeteria's atmosphere.

A light was humming above them and Asuka felt her brain whir in a similar fashion. A spark was ignited in her and it slightly made her feel warm – a feeling she hadn't felt in the longest.

"Ooh, dessert!" Mari suddenly said and got up to walk over to the display of sweets Asuka was recently observing.

Asuka's eye twitched, she didn't expect anything different from Mari. "They've been in there for a few days," Asuka commented.

Mari wasn't listening, she was too busy gawking at a slice of strawberry cheesecake glistening under the overhead light. "I wonder if it's open…" Mari mumbled, to herself, and walked around the case looking for a latch.

"You can't just take it, favored-four eyes!" Asuka scolded, but Mari had already found out a way inside the display and grabbed the cheesecake.

"Alright, that was easier than I thought," Mari said, happily. Her smirk was at its widest. She went over to Asuka and across from her and placed the slice of cheesecake in between them.

Mari picked at the cake with the tip of her fork she also took without permission and nabbed a piece. She hovered the fork in front of Asuka's face. "Want some?" Mari said, her eyes swimming with humor.

Asuka stared at the piece of cake on the edge of the fork and the expectant look on Mari's face. She turned her face away from the offering and said, "I don't like cheesecake. Especially strawberry cheesecake," Asuka lied.

Mari's eyebrows rose in shock. "No way, how can you not like cheesecake?" She continued to wag the fork in front of Asuka's face. "Come on, give it a try."

Asuka turned to look at Mari smiling with pleading eyes. Asuka felt a blush creep from her neck up to her cheeks. She was thankful it was dim in the cafeteria, but Mari's smirk was widening.

"Come on," Mari sang playfully, and inched the fork closer to Asuka's lips. "Cheese. Cake." Mari tempted.

Asuka glowered at Mari, but Mari remained smiling at her. "Fine," Asuka said, and enveloped her lips over the fork to quickly snatch the piece.

"Geez, you almost took the fork with it, Princess." Mari teased, as Asuka chewed the cake. It was sweet. Too sweet. But the light addition of strawberries made it bearable.

"Well? Good, right?" Mari said.

Asuka swallowed the piece. "It was terrible."

Mari sighed. "You are so hard to please, Princess." Mari's eyes then lit up in realization. "Oh, right. I'm sorry. I keep forgetting to stop calling you Princess." Mari smiled innocently as she put the fork recently in Asuka's mouth into hers – with no cake on it, Asuka noticed.

Mari contemplated with the fork still in her mouth. Asuka blushed even harder at the sight and her legs were fidgeting – she had the urge to run again.

"Y-you can call me Princess if you want, favored-four eyes," Asuka said, so quickly, Mari had missed it.

Mari looked at Asuka. _The damned fork is still in her mouth_, Asuka thought. She wished she'd stop sucking mindlessly on the prongs.

"What did you say, Asuka?"

"I said," Asuka hesitated, "I said, you can call me Princess if it's so hard for you to stop."

Mari's face lit up in surprise and suddenly the bright lights of the cafeteria turned on and made their sensitive eyes adjust to the sudden brightness.  
>A plump woman came dawdling in donning an apron. She didn't notice Mari and Asuka until she walked behind the counter.<p>

"Oh my! You two young ladies gave me a fright!" The chef said, as she placed her hand atop her heart and spotted the cake in front of Mari.

She eyed the cake and then at Mari and the two stared at each other in silence.

"Mari, is that the sixth cake you've taken this month?" The woman exasperatedly said as she shook her head.

Mari chuckled abashedly. "Ah heh, sorry, Donna. I promise to pay for it."

"I'm reporting this to Misato," Donna said, with puffed cheeks, obviously fed up with Mari's cake thievery.

"No! Uh, wait! What's that?" Mari sputtered, and pointed to the other the end of the dining hall.

Both Donna and Asuka turned to look in the direction Mari was pointing to, but saw nothing. When they turned their heads back, Mari had vanished… With the cake.

Donna growled in frustration and turned her attention to Asuka.

"Stupid, favored-eyes," Asuka mumbled, and sighed tiredly, but she found it hard to stop smiling.


End file.
